Jean's Journal: Our islands and our folkby Jean FarrellI wrote about the islands on Lough Ree, recently. This lovely photograph shows a group of Athlone folk on a day trip to Carbery Island. Most Athlone folk know of ‘Charlie’s Island’. Barges on their way from Leitrim to Limerick could not pass through Athlone town by river. Apparently, much muck was dug up from the bed of the river here in Athlone town during these works.
The Government is to spend €135,000 on wool scarves to give to European dignitaries when Ireland takes on the EU presidency later this year. From July 1, Ireland will assume the EU presidency for the first time since 2013. It will come at a significant cost to the State as it plays host to numerous high-level meetings and must cover security costs throughout the presidency. In its request for the scarves, it said the programme for the presidency includes a series of meetings and events. It comes as the Taoiseach held a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the EU presidency.
A University of Galway spokesman said there will be 'broad consultation; with academic staff over proposed reforms of arts courses. Photograph: iStockAcademic staff at the University of Galway have said they were “blindsided” by a report proposing a reform of its arts degrees, with the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) warning of a potential dispute due to a “lack of engagement”. The Irish Times previously reported the university is considering a “transformation” of its arts offering due to a downward trend in student numbers. An internal report issued to staff within the university’s arts college noted that reform has become “urgent” due to this “sustained decline”. Although the university said the proposals are an “early-stage consultation”, McNamara, like staff members who spoke to The Irish Times, believes the “decision’s been made”.
Environmental group An Taisce says the plan, the sixth and latest instalment of the nitrates action programme (NAP), will allow water quality to deteriorate further. The group applied to the High Court on Monday seeking judicial review of the NAP which was adopted by the Minister for Housing and Heritage last December. A number of technical and procedural issues are also raised in the group’s application to the High Court. An Taisce says this shows the NAP is not in compliance with the Habitats Directive or the Water Framework Directive. The groups says if the High Court grants the judicial review and strikes down the sixth NAP, the nitrates derogation would also fall.
A status yellow warning for wind has been issued for three counties as Met Éireann says strong and gusty winds are expected. Met Éireann said the strong winds, especially in coastal areas, can lead to difficult travelling conditions, debris/ loose object displacement, as well as fallen branches or trees. Meanwhile, some sleet, snow, frost and ice is expected later this week as Met Éireann says low pressure will dominate before cooler air comes in with "wintry hazards" possible. Clear spells and some scattered showers will come in from the west, mainly affecting Atlantic coastal counties, with a chance of hail. It will take a turn on Wednesday evening, with showery outbreaks of rain moving eastwards with strong winds.
Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/GettyThe war on Iran waged by the United States and Israel has prompted a reluctant Europe to contain the fallout of the expanding conflict. British prime minister Keir Starmer said he had accepted the US request to prevent Iran from firing missiles across the region. Disruptions caused by the war are being felt far more in Europe than in the US. The war is affecting European economies “heavily dependent” on Gulf oil, said former International Monetary Fund chief economist Maurice Obstfeld. Supply chain disruptions are expected if the Iran conflict continues as long or longer than Donald Trump’s administration has anticipated.
Pep Lijnders to manage Man City against Liverpool after Pep Guardiola banned for FA Cup tiePep Guardiola has been handed a two-game touchline ban and will miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, with former Reds assistant Pep Lijnders set to take charge of Manchester CityView 2 Images Pep Lijnders will take charge against his former club in the FA Cup (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Pep Lijnders will take the reins at Manchester City in next month's FA Cup quarter-final against his former club Liverpool, as Pep Guardiola serves a touchline ban. The Dutchman has rapidly become a trusted member of Guardiola's backroom team, and will now step into the manager's role against his former club when they clash in the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium on the weekend of April 4. Guardiola received his sixth booking of the season in City's 3-1 victory at Newcastle in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday night, and will now serve a two-match touchline ban. The City boss vehemently confronted fourth official Lewis Smith after Kieran Trippier had fouled Jeremy Doku at St James' Park. View 2 Images Pep Guardiola will serve a two-match touchline ban (Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images)"There are things after 10 years I cannot understand.
The biggest change that Miren-Maialen McDonald has observed since moving to Dublin 26 years ago? “All these years that I have been in Dublin I have never had a driving licence and I never will, so I’ve always been cycling or taking public transport,” McDonald says. Having moved to Dublin from Hamburg, Germany, McDonald says the contrast between the two cities’ public transport infrastructure was stark. For Miren-Maialen McDonald, Donostia will always be her home, but having built a life she loves in Dublin, she thinks of it as her home for now. She helps people who have just moved to Dublin to find community by introducing them to the clubs and groups she is a part of.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned today will see the 'most intense day of strikes inside Iran' as he insisted Tehran is 'badly losing' the war. We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,' Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing. Last night Mr Trump told Iran to brace for 'death, fire and fury' for keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut before threatening its new leader Mojtaba Khamenei. And Pakistan has deployed its navy to escort tankers through the Gulf amid increasing threats surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Follow the latest updates on the US-Israel war with Iran
I’ve been bullied and seen others bullied in the most unbelievable of ways. My colleague couldn’t be fired, so the principal trimmed their hours down to single digits, hoping they’d leave. In my last school, I witnessed the most heinous and calculated campaign of bullying I’d seen. I grew to become friends with the person being bullied and it pained me to watch events unfold. After my own bullying experiences, I’ve lost my sense of dignity or of being valued in my school.
Councillors were told the greenway would serve cyclists, pedestrians and 'wheelers' – people who used wheelchairs, buggies and other forms of personal mobility. Two sections of a planned greenway linking Cornelscourt to Cherrywood in south Co Dublin have been dropped by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The €3.7 million project initially envisaged a 2.3km Cabinteely greenway, in four sections from Cornelscourt village to Cherrywood. Residents of The Park housing estate had questioned whether it was a good idea to bring many more people into their quiet residential area. Cllr Tom Kivlehan (Green Party) said he was surprised by the concerns raised by residents in the Glen area of The Park housing estate.
It’s not.”Lucas said Trump made those remarks “because he got worried about the oil prices, got worried about the stock markets”. - Associated Press‘The most intense day of strikes’: Pete Hegseth warns of heightened campaign on TuesdayUS defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day of strikes against Iran in the campaign so far. Hegseth said that the US is “winning” its war with Iran, which is “stands alone and is badly losing”. Oil prices surged to their highest levels since mid-2022 on Monday propelled by fears of Gulf output cuts and disrupted tanker traffic. Harris said the fact oil prices had fallen “significantly” today pointed to the volatility of the situation.
“He would enter part way in the delusion in the hope of bringing his patient back with him to reality,” she wrote. Later, this method had to be adapted to the delusions of grandeur in which patients imagined themselves to be Napoleon. And the method of dealing with Donald Trump adapted by most democratic leaders is the pious fraud. Trump is not mentally ill, but he is in the broader sense mad. Trump is a Napoleon with a Napoleon complex – the holder of immense real-world power who is also under the illusion that this power is unlimited.
The Irish economy is facing an energy affordability crisis as households and businesses face soaring fuel bills as the war in Iran drags on. The conflict has already seen a sharp rise in the price of home heating oil across Ireland. Ibec warned the Government that it needs to take “urgent steps to mitigate an emerging energy affordability crisis”. Ibec executive director Fergal O’Brien said the recent and rapid surge in global oil prices has again exposed the vulnerability of the Irish economy. Mr Khamenei, a 56-year-old Shi’ite cleric with a power base among the security forces and their vast business empire, has been declared unacceptable by Mr Trump, who has demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender.
Back in London, however, the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, introduced in 2025 by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn continues its passage through Westminster. The Bill seeks to remove the protections from vexatious legal action for British soldiers and members of the IRA that were enshrined in the 2023 Northern Ireland Legacy Act passed by the previous Conservative government. Yet today, the British state is content to let individuals face legal scrutiny alone, while both the chain of command and the government that sent them to Northern Ireland step back from responsibility. It therefore has direct implications for the British military for decades to come. General Nick Parker was commander-in-chief 2010-2012, general officer, commanding Northern Ireland 2006-2007
